Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions

What is the Oxford University Press Dictionary Service?
It is a free service that offers parents the chance to buy dictionaries from a stand at a secondary school parents' evening or induction event. The prices on the night are nearly always better than in shops or online.

What will the OUP Dictionary Service cost?
The service is free to secondary schools and has no hidden costs. The books are delivered and collected without charge and there is no fee to have a stand.

What will be the benefit to the school?
It is a simple way of making sure your students are well equipped for their new subjects. Parents will save money and will be confident that the dictionaries are the correct level for their child.
If you run the event yourselves, instead of having an OUP rep, you will receive a £75 voucher to buy books for your library from our trade catalogue. If you sell over 100 books then you will receive an additional £25 to spend!

When can I have the OUP Dictionary Service at my school?
Dictionary events are normally held in the summer, between May and July, when most schools have their Year 7 Inductions. If you would like to have an event outside of these times please email dictionary.events@oup.com and we will do our best to accommodate you. You can sign up now!

Can someone from OUP come to sell the books?
If requested, we will do our best to find a local OUP rep to attend your event. The earlier you book, the more likely it is we will be able to allocate you a representative. However, in some cases we may not have availability so please keep in mind someone at the school who might be able to run the stand if an OUP rep is not available.

How many books should I order?
We recommend you order enough books for about 25% of your pupil intake, e.g. if your intake is 120 then an order of 30 copies of each book would work well. However, you are free to order more than 25% and are welcome to take all eight titles or just one, depending on your needs.

How do I send back any unsold copies?
Our couriers will collect any unsold boxes of books. If you run the event yourselves, just follow the simple instructions in the event guide. Or if you have an OUP rep run the stand, they will organise the collection of the unsold books.

When should I get my order placed?
Once you have booked your date, you can send in your order anytime up to 2 weeks before the event.

How can I get the extra £25 voucher?
If you sell over 100 books at one event. The best way to make the most of the stand is to let your parents know what will be on offer beforehand. A parent letter template is provided so it can be distributed in book bags or mailings. Remember to mention the stand on the night too!

If I run the event myself, when can I spend the £75/£100 voucher?
You can spend your voucher as soon as you receive it. It will be sent to you when you return the event paperwork.

The specification in this catalogue, including limitation price, format, extent, number of illustrations and month of publication, was as accurate as possible at the time the catalogue was compiled. Occasionally, due to the nature of some contractual restriction, we are unable to ship specific products to a particular territory. Jacket images are provisional and liable to change before publication.